Finding a Balanced Healthy

Month: December 2015

‘Tis the season for over indulging, parties every weekend, Santa-themed 5Ks, family drama, overspending, merriment and cheer. With everything that’s going on–and January resolutions looming–here are 5 things I’m giving up for the season…and maybe forever.

Target: How is it that I go in for milk and come out with 6 bags of stuff I don’t need? That store just sucks me in. And–as one of my friends so aptly put it the other day–at Christmas time it resembles a war zone. Packed with shoppers, slow cashiers, impulse buys around every corner…I’m saying goodbye to the big red bullseye for awhile.

Counting calories: I know it’s the best and most effective way to lose weight. But when I start counting calories, I become obsessed. Exactly how many ounces of cheese did I just eat? Does this apple seem small or medium to you? If I eat this slice of pie, I’m only going to have 12 calories left for the rest of my life!!! I have a love/hate relationship with the app My Fitness Pal. I become hooked, inputting every little morsel that enters my mouth…then I become competitive with myself. Can I get a little lower the next day? And the next? And the day after that? By the end of the week, I’m not eating enough and it’s not pleasant to spend time around me. Since I have spent time counting calories, I feel like I have a pretty good grasp on how much I need–and following a clean diet with limited sugar (most of the time) works better for me than counting.

Going to the gym. Note I did not say “working out”. I recently left the brick and mortar gym we joined when we moved and man, was it a hassle. Time to embrace the at-home workout! I might be hoping that an at-home TRX suspension kit will be under the tree this year…

Orchestrating the perfect moments. I wrote about this over on Mama Writes Words, and I think I’m going to apply it to more than just the holidays (you can read it here). Who needs the stress and exhaustion of creating “perfect moments” (such as the perfect Christmas card photo, the perfectly decorated tree, etc) when the things you remember are the unplanned, imperfect moments like when Grandma falls asleep at the dinner table and starts reciting recipes in her sleep (what, this doesn’t happen in your family?)?

Making a to do list: does it ever seem like your “to do” list is never ending? I have categories of lists. I need an intervention. Or, I just need to stop.

In my last blog I mentioned that I pulled a muscle in my shoulder. The doctor gave me pain meds–but after a few days I realized the pain was actually getting worse and I was just feeling dopey. For a few days last week I completely lost use of my right arm. I’ve gained some movement back, but my doctor decided maybe it wasn’t muscular after all and I need to go see a specialist. And I can’t get in to the specialist until early next week.

Of course, because this is the way life works sometimes, my “comeback” 5K is this weekend. I’ve gone back and forth about running it with the shoulder injury–because for the first time in awhile, I’m ready. I’m trained and prepared. But I’m also in a fair amount of pain, and well known in my circles for tripping, falling, slipping–you name it–while I’m running. So I’m going to sit this one out, see what my doctor says next week, and based on that, find another 5K to run soon. Very, very soon.

To start and stick with it!

(I actually tried running earlier today without moving my right arm, and was surprised to see how significantly it affected me. Who knew?!?)

I have my eye on a holiday run that’s late in the month and the Hot Chocolate 5K that’s in Atlanta early January. Hopefully this shoulder issue will be resolved soon (after all, I have a planking goal I have to meet!)

I’m disappointed that I have to miss my race but I’m rolling with the punches. Have you ever had to miss a race you REALLY wanted to run?

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